Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 10 Review: Help Me Through the Night
Jasmine Blu
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The bad news is, there is zero incentive for those who don't already watch Station 19 to continue doing so for these crossover specials.
The good news is, if you opted out of the first part of the two-hour crossover special, you didn't miss much, and Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 10 was the superior hour by a mile.
Ironically, that doesn't even mean this installment was exceptional by any means, aside from Chandra Wilson's performance. But it did have some strong elements that will make the rest of the season interesting.
It's hard to say what Grey's Anatomy is supposed to get out of these crossovers. The entire two-hour special felt like an extended Grey's Anatomy installment with guest appearances by folks at Station 19 during Station 19 Season 2 Episode 18.
But since the Station 19 people didn't appear in the Grey's portion of the crossover at all, should it be considered a full-blown crossover?
The stakes weren't particularly high and barely clocked in as memorable compared to previous catastrophic and cataclysmic events. It didn't live up to the hype.
If anything, the hour had the classic Grey's humor and heart we've come to enjoy over the past decade and a half.
Jo's saga with the stolen baby was a silly storyline in the first place, but they resolved it much better than how they introduced it.
Link: Jo stole a baby.
Jo: I did not steal a baby.
Mer: That's what I said when I stole a baby.
Link: Why are people stealing babies?
Link was reasonably concerned about his best friend kidnapping a child, but Meredith treated the thing like it was no big deal, since she had a past of kidnapping a baby, too.
Link's assertion that everyone should stop taking babies was enough to induce giggles, and Link is easily one of the best things to come out of this season.
They were able to use the accident as a guise for why Jo hadn't gotten around to dropping off the baby, but she spent most of the time hanging out with the tiny human and Store Brand Alex.
Look, there is nothing wrong with Cormac Hayes right now. He's hot, has an accident, and he's good with kids. He's unfazed by everything and everyone at GSM, and he mostly minds his business.
Hayes: I've heard good things.
Jo: About me?
Hayes: No, but um...
McWidow is a whole MOOD, but in the wake of Justin Chambers' surreptitious departure from the series, it's hard not to look at Hayes as, well, a Dollar-Store Karev.
No one wants the generic brand when they could've had the name-brand, am I right? And it sucks how he has some familiar traits of Alex, and Mark and a little Riggs threw in there too.
McWidow is quite likable, but in these uncertain times where he might have to unintentionally serve as Alex's replacement, and they'll utilize him for another tired love triangle with Meredith, it's too much.
He and Jo bonded a bit while she was on baby duty, and at the risk of being flayed alive in the comments or elsewhere, they had fun chemistry.
We know McWidow being someone's potential love interest is inevitable, so why does it have to be Meredith again? He shouldn't be with Jo either, but there are so many other options that won't feel as redundant or contrived.
But while there wasn't much significance to the Jo scenes during this installment, it does show that she craves a child. What are the ways they can explain Alex no longer being on the series?
One can't think of any explanation that will do the character as much justice as they can manage, but for Jo, a motherhood arc could be on the horizon.
Brody: I'm okay. I want to help.
Bailey: Brody, those are your friends.
Brody: That's why I want to help.
It would give her a solid personal storyline without pushing her into a romantic entanglement of any sort. It's not the Jolex baby plot fans are/were hoping for, but it's a way of making it come to fruition in some capacity.
She was drunk and sidetracked with the baby, so she missed out on the action with the other residents.
On the one hand, the series might finally do something with the batch of residents they have, and they deserve it.
On the other hand, it's frustrating how the series sidelines everyone who isn't Levi for the majority of the time and then throw something this huge at them and expect the audience to care.
Teddy: He was in the military, right?
Amelia: You think he has PTSD?
Teddy: I think we all do. War. Life.
Where it stands, four residents were significantly affected by the accident. A couple of them could have lost their lives, but outside of familiarity with them being around in the background for funny lines and moments, if any of them died, outside of Levi, it wouldn't have been a major loss.
Bailey and Richard had to crack Helm open on the table, but her death would've been about how other characters would react to it. No one wanted to witness Bailey losing any of her ducklings again, especially after she just literally lost her baby.
Levi was in no real danger of dying. For now, Casey will be OK physically, and his death would've been heartbreaking, but he is so woefully underutilized that it's not unexpected if many fans don't have a real attachment to the character.
But Tom's protege Blake, whose name I didn't even remember, was the one most at risk of dying. It wouldn't have garnered more than a shrug.
He and Brody (whose name was unclear for a bit too) seemingly appeared out of nowhere, at some point during the season. They expect us to care more about them than the show did in introducing them to us.
Tom has an attachment to Blake. Tom pulled a Koracick move and believed in the kid so much he moved Blake and his grandmother to Seattle. It was a touching element meant to make us care about Blake more.
The story also made Tom more endearing to Jackson and Owen, maybe.
Owen: I do not miss that guy.
Jackson: Nope.
Brody: Altman could do so much better.
Owen: meaning?
Brody: Seriously? Altman is a badass. She's smart and skilled. And hot. Koracick is just like a creepy frat house uncle.
Jackson: She has done better. She's with Hunt.
But anyone who didn't know by now that Tom isn't a one-dimensional jackass with no depth isn't paying attention, so again, why are they still making it seem like Tom is the anti-christ, and how long will Owen and Jackson be children over Tom's presence?
It's stupid; let it go, already.
Helm never felt in any real danger of dying either, but maybe it's because of our chat with the lovely Jaicy Elliot never giving off that vibe.
But she did have the bulk of the funny moments when she was high and confessing her love to Meredith. She also forgave Levi, and Meredith forgave him too. But again, why did Levi need to be forgiven for doing his job? It's ludicrous.
Levi: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Mer: Schmitt, I forgive you. I have my license. I have my job. I forgive you.
Levi brought some of the heart as he cried in the supply closet in fear for his friends' lives. It suited him that he had Broken Heart Syndrome.
The best scene of the hour was the group of residents in Helm's room at the end. For the first time, it not only felt like this batch of residents were as close as our favorite groups of residents over the years, including the original interns, but it was believable.
They went through hell together, and they're bruised, battered, and a little broken, but they have each other. It was a cute and touching scene.
But ironically, Casey was the resident with the most touching storyline with potential. He was a standout favorite a while back, but he fell to the background.
Did the bomb go off?
Casey
The accident and his head injury triggered his PTSD or PTSS, and he spent the hour thinking he needed to hide from a bomb. He ran away during a scan and hid, and Teddy and Amelia had to track him down.
Teddy's dedication to Casey was moving. If you recall, she was annoyed by him during her pregnancy when he often worked alongside Maggie, so her fondness and respect for him as a fellow veteran was a lovely turnaround.
We don't know much about Casey outside of him being a transgender veteran with killer hacking skills. The guy has a story itching to be told.
Grey's Anatomy hasn't touched upon PTSD in a concentrated storyline in a long time. It crops up here and there with some of the characters after all of their experiences. However, they could benefit from diving into it.
Amelia: I can do this without you if you want to go.
Teddy: He's a veteran, and he's suffering. We send them overseas and we ask them to give up their lives, their health, their family, and when they get home, we don't even give them mental healthcare.
Amelia: Owen.
Teddy: And Riggs and Megan and me.
It has already gotten Teddy's attention, and it could rope Owen in too. But it'll also expand to his fellow residents. Of all the things to come from the residents in peril or experiencing repercussions, his was the most compelling.
Teddy acknowledged trauma of her own when she was getting wrapped up in Casey. She also assumed Owen's trauma kept him from proposing to her.
The comments Jackson made about Owen's love life were hilarious. But while Amelia was reassuring Teddy that Owen was trying to avoid repeating patterns, Jackson was getting into Owen's head that he should go for it.
So, are you Towen fans excited about this engagement? After all of this time, Owen popped the question to Teddy.
Owen: Teddy, this ring is my mom's. She gave it to me the day Alison was born, and I've been carrying it around in my pocket ever since. And I love you, and there is no perfect moment, and I am not a perfect man, but you are the perfect woman for me. So, Theodore Grace Altman, will you --
Teddy: Owen, no.
Owen: No? Is it Tom?
Teddy: Owen, stand up. Listen to me. You are not obligated to marry me. You do not have to do this. I want you to break the patterns not reinforce them.
Owen: I'm not repeating a pattern. I'm staring a new one. Loving you. Loving our family, with my whole heart every day. That's my new pattern. I love you. I love you. Tedd. Marry me. Marry me. Marry me, Teddy.
It wasn't a grand, romantic gesture, but he gave a great speech, and she couldn't say no. Maybe this time, his marriage will stick.
It sucks for Tom, who looked like someone ran over his dog and punched him in the gut, but if it means the death of this love triangle, then so be it.
Tom deserves better than this.
It also prompted Amelia to keep the news of her questionable conception date to herself. In any other circumstances, lying to your lover about something this significant isn't something to condone.
However, I'll freely admit I don't want to see Link hurt. We don't know if this baby is Owen's for sure.
Link: So you had something you want to tell me?
Amelia: Uh, I didn't want to know, but, um, it's a boy.
Link is so adorably thrilled about having a baby, and he's going to be an amazing dad. And unless that baby comes out with fire red hair and perpetual frown lines, I will happily stay in denial.
Let Link and Amelia be happy with no drama, dammit!
They robbed Benjamin Warren of the chance to be a dad to a child of his own; they will not do this again with Link. It's unacceptable.
Bailey granted Owen and Richard rights to practice at GSM, and hopefully, it can last longer.
Bailey needed Richard, whether she realized it or not. It wasn't about him stepping in during the surgery, but he can support her in ways others don't know how to, and Ben needs the support too.
Bailey was on the verge of a breakdown the entire hour. Maybe Chandra Wilson had a cold, and maybe she didn't, but her voice alone was heartbreaking. She was hoarse, and it sounded like she was barely keeping it together.
When Bailey stands still for too long amid chaos, it hits you how much she has endured and how many people she has lost.
Right now, your friends need you, and they need me too. Whatever we're feeling we put it aside. We put it aside, and we help.
Bailey
She almost slipped up with Levi. She has a special connection with him, who reminds her of George but also herself.
And the Bailey who stepped away from surgery silently and allowed Richard to take over is a woman who is aware of her limits.
But that breakdown afterward was one of the most heartwrenching scenes in ages. It was enough to reduce a person to tears.
The hour belonged to Chandra Wilson. She owned every scene she was in, every moment, and every word.
She was a masterclass.
Richard: Bailey, everyone is fine.
Bailey: Everyone. Everyone. Everyone I touched today. Everyone I held in my hands, I gave to another surgeon to put back together again. Fine. To lose you, and Grey, Hunt, and Karev. Fine. I made that work. But this. This I --I am not fine. She isn't fine. And I can't even hold her in my hands or put her in someone else's hands or put her back together again, and she just was, and now she just isn't, and I can't do anything but stand here. Stand here and lose her.
Bailey has kept it together through so many things, and she got through it all fine, but she wasn't OK. Her miscarriage broke her, and she knew it.
Remarkably, she was able to get through as much as she did -- the entire day of madness with her people in peril -- and didn't curl up in a ball and give in to her devastation.
Bailey's strength and vulnerability during this hour -- oh, it's the Bailey we love.
Warren: Thanks for coming.
Richard: Thanks for calling. Well, she seems okay.
Warren: She's not. She says she is, but she's working through a miscarriage. She hasn't had time to break yet. I can't be there in that OR with her, so someone else who loves her needs to be there. In case she breaks.
Richard: Of course.
Warren: Thank you.
Richard: Warren are you okay?
Warren: No. But Miranda comes first.
Ben was the same, and Ben Warren is husband-goals. He didn't have as many scenes, but the one moment shared with Richard where he shared the load for the best of Bailey was all we needed.
He's not OK either and admitted it, but nothing else mattered but Bailey. Why can't they be happy together?
Outside of being lauded some more and doling out forgiveness that was unwarranted in the first place, Meredith was limited.
But her final scene with Bailey, where she could sit in solidarity with her as someone who has suffered a miscarriage too, was beautiful.
Process Server: Dr. Margaret Pierce, you've been served.
Maggie: I'm being sued for wrongful death.
DeLuca: Who is Sabrina Webber?
Maggie: My cousin.
Too much was going on for anyone to have a big reaction to Maggie's departure. It almost seemed as though she wouldn't make it into the hour at all.
But then they threw a curveball at us with those final moments.
For a second, DeLuca wanting to talk had shipper vibes, but sadly, he was there to talk about Meredith.
And as if people not giving a damn about Maggie wasn't bad enough, she was notified of a lawsuit. Her uncle is suing her for wrongful death after her cousin Sabrina's death.
Teddy: He was in the military, right?
Amelia: You think he has PTSD?
Teddy: I think we all do. War. Life.
DeLuca didn't even know anything about it, so does no one check in with each other at all anymore?
Meredith didn't know Alex was in Idaho. DeLuca didn't know Maggie had a cousin who died under her scalpel.
Communication is dead.
But holy crap, how can Maggie bounce back from this? Where is this going? It could go so many different places.
Over to you, Grey's Fanatics.
Should Amelia have told Link the truth? What are your thoughts on Owen and Teddy's engagement?
Did Bailey break your heart? What will happen with Maggie? Hit the comments below.
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
